Atif Shamin, a Phd student in electronics at Carlton University in Canada, has figured out a way of reducing iPhone battery drain.

He’s replaced all the internal wires and PCBs of his iPhone with an antenna.

The swap allows a wireless connection between a micro-antenna embedded within the circuits of the chip.

“This has not been tried before that the circuits are connected to the antenna wirelessly. They’ve been connected through wires and a bunch of other components. That’s where the power gets lost,” Shamim said in an article on the University website.

He estimates that his solution uses 12 times less power than the traditional, wired-transmitter module. That means more juice for the ever-expanding choice in apps.

“It’s a common problem. There are so many applications in the iPhone, it’s like a power-sucking machine,” said Shamim.

He’s filed for patents in the US and Canada, look out for details on his hack in an upcoming issue of Microwave Journal.